Drugstore Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Drugstore Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 12, 2025

Gus Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy" (1989) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Kelly Lynch; new program with director of photography Robert Yeoman; archival audio commentary recorded by Gus Van Sant and Matt Dillon; deleted scenes; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

You comin'?

Note: The text below was initially used in our review of Australian label Imprint Films' release of Drugstore Cowboy in 2021.

In a brand new program included on this release of Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy, Kelly Lynch recalls the exact moment when she realized that her life would change forever. It was at a famous festival when Roger Ebert ran to her and told her how impressed he was with her performance, and then casually revealed that he knew people exactly like the characters from the film. I thought about Lynch’s recollection a lot because I saw Drugstore Cowboy when it opened theatrically, and my take on its characters was completely different. I did not understand why they had chosen to live their lives as they do. I still do not, and I want to tell you why.

In Drugstore Cowboy, Lynch’s character, Dianne, lives with a group of junkies who make ends meet by robbing pharmacies and hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. They do not steal money. They are after the type of pills and liquids that you need a prescription for and can get you high. They trade some of them to local pushers for cash or other drugs. (One of these pushers is played by a young and very funny Max Perlich). But they keep plenty of them too because they need to support their chosen lifestyle. The leader of the group, Bob (Matt Dillon), has extensive knowledge of the best treats, so he is the one who usually breaks in and picks up the most valuable pills and liquids. Later, he tells the other members of the group what they should or should not use. Rick (James Le Gros) can use the harder stuff, but Dianne and Nadine (Heather Graham) must be careful and avoid most of it.

The police know everything there is to know about the group and their activities and from time to time raid their latest ‘home’, but somehow Bob always manages to keep everyone safe. He does not think that his success has anything to do with luck. However, he is so superstitious that when everyone is together certain activities and rituals are banned. One of them involves a hat. Then, despite being careful, one day Bob finally screws up, and the group falls apart.

I do not want to spoil exactly how it happens, so I will only say that there is a crucial event that unleashes a chain reaction of other dramatic events. However, I would like to highlight one particular development I have always had difficulty rationalizing. This development is what essentially makes it impossible for me to understand the attraction of the lifestyle that these junkies have chosen for themselves. After Bob screws up, he decides to clean up his act and asks Dianne to do the same, but at the exact moment when she must make what ought to be a simple decision, she immediately walks away from him. In other words, Dianne’s addiction proves stronger than her love for Bob.

Or was Dianne ever in love with Bob?

The film works hard to convince she was, but it did not convince me. I recall this extremely well because it was one of the reasons I did not understand the group’s lifestyle. I know why desperate people do drugs and eventually end up in the gutter, but the lifestyle that is depicted in the film is different. Bob, Dianne, Nadine, and Rick are not desperate people. They are supposed to be close friends who, for better or worse, are supporting each other, and at the right time the film reveals that they are just suicidal egoistical liars using each other as best as they could.

The big truth that emerges from this film is neither new nor surprising, and it is the only aspect of it that is crystal clear to me. Bob explains it in the prologue -- you can’t win a game that cannot be won. This is the game that all junkies play.

Drugstore Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Drugstore Cowboy is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-33 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #36-40 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a new 4K makeover of Drugstore Cowboy, sourced from the original camera negative and supervised and approved by Gus Van Sant and director of photography Robert Yeoman. In native 4K, the 4K makeover cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR grades.

I have only one other Blu-ray release of Drugstore Cowboy, which was produced by Australian label Imprint Films in 2021. You can see our listing and review of it here. I used it to do several comparisons.

Drugstore Cowboy looks noticeably healthier in native 4K and 1080p. In some areas with nuanced darker shadow details, for instance, delineation and clarity are so much better that the overall perception of depth, especially on a larger screen, instantly becomes vastly superior. However, there is also a lot of material that looks very similar to the identical material from the previous Blu-ray release. Plenty of it is from outdoor footage. Obviously, the big density fluctuations that are part of the original cinematography remain the same. (A good example is the raw footage that different cast members shot and can be seen in the beginning of the film). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, because of the density fluctuations, you should expect to see plenty of uneven grain exposure. Image stability is excellent. I would describe color balance as very convincing. In some areas, select visuals appear somewhat warmer, but my impression is that primaries and supporting nuances shift in the right direction. On the previous old master that was used to source the Blu-ray release I have, it is just too obvious that saturation levels are not optimal, and in some areas there are inconsistencies that produce additional issues. One of these issues pertains to how highlights are managed. Here, the only area where I believe some additional rebalancing work could have been done is in the reproduction of select blue nuances. My impression is that occasionally some tend to shift too much toward a darker variation of turquoise. However, in areas where primary blue must appear prominent, I think that balance is convincing. I did not notice any surface imperfections to report.

Drugstore Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the overall quality of the lossless track was great. The music, in particular, sounded full and very nicely rounded, which is one improvement I thought could be made if Drugstore Cowboy were to be fully redone in 4K and its audio remastered. All dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow.

Drugstore Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this archival audio commentary, Gus Van Sant and Matt Dillon go down memory lane and recall how and where various sections of Drugstore Cowboy were staged and shot -- apparently, a lot of important material was shot very quickly, and some by Van Sant's second unit -- the new material that was added while shooting was in progress, what type of music was selected for the film, etc. Also, there are some interesting comments about the clothing choices that were made and how they were supposed to be reflective of the Beat culture, as well as the management and importance of color throughout the film. For example, the color green was considered to be the primary black, and the intent was to make Drugstore Cowboy look like a black-and-white film but shot in color. The commentary was recorded in 2001.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this archival audio commentary, Gus Van Sant and Matt Dillon go down memory lane and recall how and where various sections of Drugstore Cowboy were staged and shot -- apparently, a lot of important material was shot very quickly, and some by Van Sant's second unit -- the new material that was added while shooting was in progress, what type of music was selected for the film, etc. Also, there are some interesting comments about the clothing choices that were made and how they were supposed to be reflective of the Beat culture, as well as the management and importance of color throughout the film. For example, the color green was considered to be the primary black, and the intent was to make Drugstore Cowboy look like a black-and-white film but shot in color. The commentary was recorded in 2001.

• Kelly Lynch - in this exclusive new program, Kelly Lynch explains how she landed her part in Drugstore Cowboy, and recalls her interactions with Gus Van Sant and her co-stars during the shooting of the film. Lynch has some general observations about the drug culture and popular misconceptions about junkies as well. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2024. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Robert Yeoman - in this exclusive new program, cinematographer Robert Yeoman discusses his working experience with Gus Van Sant during the production of Drugstore Cowboy. Yeoman states that he attempted to keep "the indie spirit he (Van Sant) liked as much as possible" and highlights some particular lensing choices he made. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2024. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• The Making of "Drugstore Cowboy" - this archival program gathers clips from interviews with Gus Van Sant, Matt Dillon, James Le Gros, Heather Graham, Kelly Lyncn, and co-writer Dan Yost, amongst others, as well as raw footage from the shooting of Drugstore Cowboy. The bulk of the comments from the interviews address the main characters and their environment. The program was produced by John J. Campbell in 1999. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here is a very large collection of deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (52 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered trailer for Drugstore Cowboy. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by author and screenwriter Jon Raymond, as well as technical credits.

Drugstore Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't understand the lifestyle that is depicted in Drugstore Cowboy. I never have. It is a form of slow suicide that is impossible to defend. William S. Burroughs pops up in the film and argues the exact opposite, but as they say, everyone is entitled to have an opinion. I think that the four leads -- Matt Dillon, James Le Gros, Kelly Lynch, and Heather Graham -- are really good, but I don't recall the last time I felt the urge to revisit the film because of their performances. Criterion's upcoming combo pack introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Drugstore Cowboy, supervised and approved by Gus Van Sant and director of photography Robert Yeoman, that looks lovely on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. I think fans of the film will be quite pleased with it because they have been stuck with that old DVD release of it that the defunct Artisan Home Entertainment produced in the late 1990s. RECOMMENDED.